Each winter, hundreds of the best college football players are invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind., where coaches and representative from all NFL teams conduct a four-day interview/assessment in preparation for the Spring NFL Draft. For the players, this event is vital. Proper conditioning leading to the combine can increase a players’ draft status and, ultimately boost their salary (and the salary of their agents).

The combine is a series of athletic fitness tests that include drills like the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump and shuttle run. Each event requires its own specific set of skills and, as such, is addressed individually. The athletes must learn how to perform each specific event in the most efficient manner possible. Here’s a closer look at some of the combine’s events…

*The 40-yard dash, the combine’s marquee event, is all about speed, explosion and running great times. The athletes are timed at 10, 20 and 40-yard intervals and must have an “explosion” from a static start.

*A 225-pound bench press requires the athlete doing as many reps as possible. The scouts are looking for endurance. The bench press event is a telltale sign of how much time the athlete has dedicated to lifting weights.

*A broad jump tests an athlete's lower-body explosion and lower-body strength. Starting from a balanced stance and then exploding out as far as he can measures balance, as he must land without moving.

The power of the combine event cannot be undervalued for these athletes; those from lower-level Division 1 schools or players you’ve never heard of can come out of obscurity with great combine stats. Conversely, a poor performance at the combine can hurt a draft standing.

Did you know that the nation’s leader in preparing college football players for the NFL Combine is right here in NJ? The Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn has trained combine athletes for the past 15 years and, in conjunction with TEST Football Academy, has the following to their credit: produced the fastest 40 yard dash at 10 different positions; trained the overall fastest man at the 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Combine; and produced 35 individual 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place finishers overall in the combine events. This success translates to having 192 get drafted in the past 15 years. Including the #2 pick in the 2008 draft, Chris Long. The Parisi-trained athletes learn how to efficiently perform each event and clearly the results speak for themselves.

Beyond the drama and suspense of the NFL Draft, keep in mind the importance of the NFL Combine and all of the work behind it which helped get the athletes to the places they are at today.